Free LEED Green Associate Practice Exam

LEED is the world's leading green building rating system and earning the LEED Green Associate credential is the first major step in LEED credentials. The LEED Green Associate exam contains 100 multiple choice questions that must be completed in 2 hours. One of the crucial steps for successfully passing the LEED Green Associate exam is to take practice tests in order to test and reinforce knowledge, and to become familiar with the actual test format. In this blog post, we have created a free LEED Green Associate exam for you. The exam questions are prepared in the same scope and format of the actual LEED Green Associate exam and the detailed answer explanations will enable you to learn more than just the correct answer.

If you would like to get full-length online LEED Green Associate practice exams, click here to check out our practice exams that are designed to provide the candidate with a real exam simulation and will enable the test-taker to assess and reinforce knowledge while simultaneously identifying weak spots. 

Now let's go through our free LEED Green Associate practice exam. You have two options to take the free practice exam. You can either go through the practice questions below or you can choose to take the free exam with our practice exam simulator. Click here to take the exam with the simulator.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #1

Which of the following is an intentional reduction in the electricity usage in response to a curtailment event or changes in the price of electricity?

a) Retrocommissioning

b) Demand response

c) Green pricing

d) Load shifting

Correct Answer: B.

Think about a power plant that serves the whole city and imagine that the weather gets extremely hot beyond the normal average temperature. As a consequence, everyone simultaneously turns on his or her air conditioner, creating a sudden increase in electricity demand. If the power plant’s energy is not enough to handle that peak demand, then the utility company would think about constructing an additional plant, or it would need to find additional generation sources, including nonrenewable energy sources.

Demand response is a technology that aims to overcome these types of conflicts by reducing energy demand, especially during peak times. The utility company sends an alert, which is called a DR event or a curtailment event, to commercial customers who agree to change their usage patterns at peak demands. In turn, the commercial consumers reduce their demand with the alert. Consumers are rewarded for their participation in the demand response, and the construction of additional power plants is avoided. In some cities, utility companies may charge extra during peak times in order to reduce energy demand.

Retrocommissioning is a systematic process for analyzing and optimizing building system performance. Retrocommissioning is basically the same process of commissioning applied to existing buildings. The aim of retrocommissioning is to keep a building on track for meeting or exceeding the original operational goals.

Green pricing is an extra fee for purchasing green power. For example, if the local utility provider sells green power, the project team can directly purchase and use green power. However, if the local utility company does not sell green power, then the project team can pay an extra fee—called green pricing—to the local utility company to buy a set quantity of green power instead of buying electricity produced by nonrenewable energy sources.

Load shifting is storing the energy generated during off-peak hours to use it during peak-demand hours. Usually, battery systems are used to store the energy during load shifting. 

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #2

Energy consumed during the employee commuting and business travel can be classified as:

a) Scope 1 energy

b) Scope 2 energy

c) Scope 3 energy

d) None of the above

Correct Answer: C.

A scope 1 energy relates to the direct energy from the owned or controlled sources, while a scope 2 energy relates to the purchased energy, and scope 3 energy relates to energy sources that are not owned or directly controlled.

To illustrate, the energy generated on-site through burning of fossil fuels will fall under scope 1 energy, and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions will be classified as a scope 1 emission. The electricity bought from a utility company will be classified as a scope 2 energy, and the resulting greenhouse gas emission will be a scope 2 emission. The energy consumed during the employee commuting and business travel will be classified as a scope 3 energy.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #3

A major renovation project is thinking about using the existing HVAC&R equipment that contains 1 pound (450 grams) of CFC based refrigerant. In order to be eligible for a LEED certification, the project team should:

a) Complete a CFC phase-out conversion before the project completion

b) Complete a CFC phase-out conversion during the first 5 years of the occupancy period

c) Complete a CFC phase-out conversion during the first 10 years of the occupancy period

d) 1 pound (450 grams) of CFC refrigerant in an existing piece of equipment is acceptable according to LEED standards, the equipment can be used without a CFC phase-out

Correct Answer: A.

According to the Fundamental Refrigerant Management prerequisite, LEED BD+C projects cannot use CFC based refrigerants for all the newly installed HVAC&R systems, and should phase-out CFC based refrigerants more than 0.5 pound (225 grams) in existing equipment before the project completion.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #4

__________  indicates a material’s ability to stay cool by reflecting solar radiation and emitting thermal radiation. Thus, both the reflectance and emissivity of a material will be combined to rank the material.

a) Solar reflectance index (SRI)

b) Solar reflectance (SR)

c) Albedo

d) Heat island effect

Correct Answer: A.

Solar reflectance index (SRI) value indicates a material’s ability to stay cool by reflecting solar radiation and emitting thermal radiation. Thus, both the reflectance and emissivity of a material will be combined to rank the material.

Solar reflectance (SR) value shows the solar energy that is reflected by a surface on a scale of “0” to “1”. A black surface will have a SR of “0”, while a white surface will have a SR of “1”. SR does not does not consider the emissivity of the material.

Albedo is a type of reflectivity measurement from “0” to “1”, which “0” represents black surfaces that absorb all the solar radiation, while “1” represents white surfaces that reflects all the solar radiation. Albedo does not does not consider the emissivity of the material.

Heat island effect is not a reflectivity measurement. Dark colored, non-reflective surfaces absorb heat during hot weather, and release it into the atmosphere, and this releasing of heat is called the heat island effect.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #5

Which of the following refrigerants ozone depletion potential (ODP) is very close to zero?

a) Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

b) Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)

c) Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)

d) CFC-502

Correct Answer: C.

It is important to note that natural refrigerants do not have any ozone depletion potential and HFCs’ ozone depletion potentials are very close to zero. Below is the table that shows the ODPs and GWPs of common refrigerants, which is also very important to know for the exam purposes.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #6

Which of the following are the phases of the split review option for the LEED BD+C and LEED ID+C project certification?

a) Preliminary design and construction

b) Anticipated and awarded

c) Design and construction

d) Preliminary review and final review

Correct Answer: C.

There are two types of review options for LEED BD+C and LEED ID+C projects. The first review option is the combined review, in which documentation for all the design and construction prerequisites/credits are submitted for review at the end of the construction phase. At the end of combined review, GBCI will mark the submitted prerequisites/credits as awarded or denied (this phase is called the preliminary review phase). If there is more information needed by GBCI about a prerequisite/credit, GBCI will mark it as clarify, and the project teams will submit the requested clarification (this phase is called the final review phase). It is a little riskier compared to the second review option, which is the split review. If some of the expected credits are not awarded, there will not be a make-up, since the project is already completed and no change in design or construction can be made. If a prerequisite is not awarded, then the project will not be able to receive a LEED certification at all.

The second option is the split review option, in which the design prerequisites/credits are submitted for review during the design phase, and both the additional design prerequisites/credits (if any) and all the construction prerequisites/credits are submitted at the end of the construction phase. The split review option has two phases, which are design and construction. When the design review is complete, GBCI will either mark the design prerequisites/credits either as anticipated or denied. No prerequisite/credit will be awarded during the design phase, since the design will also need to be implemented on-site during the construction phase. If a design prerequisite/credit is marked as anticipated, it means that the project will earn it at the end of construction phase once that design is implemented on-site. If it’s marked as denied, the project teams will need to come up with a design alternative rather than proceeding with that design in order to earn the prerequisite/credit. And at the end of construction review, GBCI will this time mark the submitted prerequisites/credits as awarded or denied. If there is more information needed by GBCI about a prerequisite/credit, GBCI will mark it as clarify, and the project teams will submit the requested clarification.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #7

When choosing environmentally friendly products, a project team should look for: (Choose 3)

a) Health Product Declarations (HPD)

b) Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)

c) Corporate Sustainability Reports (CSR)

d) Custodial effectiveness assessments

e) Greenwashing

Correct Answer: A,B, and C.

Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) evaluates the entire life-cycle of a product and assess the cost of the product on the environment. Products that contain an EPD will give information about a product’s impact on global warming, ozone depletion, water pollution, greenhouse gas emission, human toxicity, and more.

Furthermore, a product with a Health Product Declaration (HPD) will provide disclosure about its material ingredients, list of potential chemicals, related concerns, and additional health information. For manufacturers or raw-material suppliers, Corporate Sustainability Reports (CSR) will provide information about the manufacturer or raw-material supplier of a product that has been verified to employ sustainable principles during the creation of their products. By considering products with transparent information and declarations, project teams can make better decisions.

Custodial effectiveness assessments is about cleanliness of a building, which should also be conducted to obtain the occupants’ opinions of the green cleaning program during the building operation phase, to see if they are ever exposed to contaminants. For this question, it does not relate to choosing environmentally friendly products.

Project teams should be careful about greenwashing when selecting products. Greenwashing refers to the presentation of a product or a material as being more environmentally friendly than it actually is.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #8

Which of the following should the project team consider first when deciding to use graywater as an alternative to potable water in irrigation?


a) LEED requirements

b) Local code requirements

c) WaterSense requirements

d) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Correct Answer: B.

The definition of graywater can vary by project location. Some local codes prohibit using graywater for toilet flushing. Therefore, project teams should first consult local code requirements before deciding to use graywater. Local codes take precedence over LEED requirements.

WaterSense requirements and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are not relevant to graywater use.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #9

For LEED, recycled content is the sum of __________, which is based on cost.

a) Postconsumer recycled content plus the preconsumer recycled content

b) Postconsumer recycled content plus one-half of the preconsumer recycled content

c) One-half the postconsumer recycled content plus one-half the preconsumer recycled content

d) One-half the postconsumer recycled content plus the preconsumer recycled content

Correct Answer: B.

For LEED, recycled content is the sum of postconsumer recycled content plus one-half the preconsumer recycled content, which is based on cost.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #10

Which of the following LEED certification fees will vary according to the project size?

a) Registration fee

b) Review (certification) fee

c) Expedited review fee

d) Credit interpretation ruling fee

Correct Answer: B.

Review (certification) fees varies according to the gross floor area of the project and membership status; it is not a flat fee like the registration fee.

Expedited review is also available for an extra flat fee. The fees are flat fees for both USGBC members and nonmembers and will reduce the review duration from 20–25 days down to 10–12 days.

A Credit interpretation ruling (CIR) has a fixed cost for both USGBC members and nonmembers. One Credit interpretation ruling (CIR) can be sent to clarify a single question, and project teams can submit an unlimited number of CIRs.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #11

In order to be eligible for a LEED ID+C rating system certification, a project should contain a minimum of:

a) 250 square feet (22 square meters) of gross floor area

b) 500 square feet (44 square meters) of gross floor area

c) 1,000 square feet (88 square meters) of gross floor area

d) 2,000 square feet (176 square meters) gross floor area

Correct answer: A.

All LEED projects must meet the following size requirements according to their rating system:

• LEED BD+C and LEED O+M rating systems: The project must include a minimum of 1,000 square feet (93 square meters) of gross floor area.
• LEED ID+C rating systems: The project must include a minimum of 250 square feet (22 square meters) of gross floor area.
• LEED for Neighborhood Development rating systems: The project should contain at least two habitable buildings and be no larger than 1,500 acres.
• LEED for Homes: The project must be defined as a “dwelling unit” by all applicable codes. A dwelling unit should include permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation. The LEED for Homes rating system additionally refers to the LEED for Homes Scope and Eligibility Guidelines as well for extra requirements.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #12

Which of the following programs does not evaluate materials’ ingredients?

a) GreenScreen

b) Cradle-to-Cradle Certification

c) Green-e

d) REACH Optimization

Correct answer: C.

Green-e is the leading certification program for green power generation in the United States and does not evaluates materials’ ingredients.

GreenScreen is a method used to identify chemicals of high concern and also to identify safer alternatives. GreenScreen is developed by Clean Production Action, a nonprofit organization.

Cradle-to-Cradle Certification assesses the ingredients of a product for environmental and human health hazards and awards a Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum level Cradle-to-Cradle Certification to the products with preferable life-cycle impacts.

The acronym in REACH Optimization stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals. It is the outgrowth of European Union legislation that requires all chemicals sold to be evaluated based on their hazard profiles. In LEED, only projects outside the United States can use REACH Optimization as an alternative compliance path (ACP).

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #13

__________ is a stormwater control feature which uses a combination of engineered basin, soils and vegetation.

a) Bioswale

b) Dry pond

c) Rainwater harvesting

d) Albedo

Correct answer: A.

Bioswales are a stormwater-control features that uses a combination of engineered basin, soils, and vegetation.

Dry ponds (detention ponds) hold the excess rainwater for some time, thereby allowing the rainwater to slowly seep into the ground without contamination. Dry ponds are excavated areas that detain and slow down stormwater but are dry at other times.

Rainwater harvesting is an aspect of rainwater management, which collects and filters the rainwater to be re-used as an alternative to potable water.

Albedo is a type of reflectivity measurement from “0” to “1”, which “0” represents black surfaces that absorb all the solar radiation, while “1” represents white surfaces that reflects all the solar radiation.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #14

Changing (increasing or decreasing) the roof area of a building cannot aid in:

a) Reducing the heat island effect

b) Increasing rainwater harvesting opportunities

c) Installing photovoltaic panels

d) Complying with the BUG rating method

Correct answer: D.

Changing (increasing or decreasing) the roof area of a building is unrelated to the BUG rating method. The BUG rating method is a luminaire classification system that categorizes luminaires based on backlight, uplight, and glare. Decreasing the roof area while increasing landscaping can reduce the heat island effect. Increasing the roof area can aid rainwater harvesting because a larger roof captures more rainwater. Additionally, increasing the roof area can facilitate the installation of more photovoltaic panels.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #15

To address natural ventilation, which of the following organizations does LEED refer to?

a) Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE)

b) US Department of Energy’s Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS)

c) MERV rating

d) REACH Optimization

Correct answer: A.

LEED refers to the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Applications Manual for natural ventilation design calculations.

The US Department of Energy’s Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) is a database used to estimate a building's total energy cost.

The Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rates air filters based on their performance in removing particles from the air.

REACH Optimization is part of a European Union legislation that requires all chemicals sold to be evaluated based on their hazard profiles.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #16

Infill sites are sites that __________ of their site area were either previously developed or were already being used for other purposes in the urban areas.

a) At least 50%

b) At least 75%

c) At least 90%

d) 100%

Correct answer: B.

Infill sites are sites that at least 75% of their site area were either previously developed or were already being used for other purposes in the urban areas.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #17

LEED requires projects to use __________ certified carbon offsets.

a) Green-e

b) Green-e Energy

c) Green-e Climate

d) ENERGY STAR

Correct answer: C.

LEED requires projects to use Green-e Climate certified carbon offsets.

Green-e is the leading certification program for green power generation in the United States.

LEED requires projects to use Green-e Energy certified green power.

ENERGY STAR is a voluntary program that provides certification to buildings and consumer products which meet certain standards of energy efficiency.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #18

LEED requires project teams to prohibit smoking outside the building except in designated smoking areas located at least __________ from all entries, outdoor air intakes, and operable windows.

a) 12 feet (3.75 meters)

b) 25 feet (7.5 meters)

c) 50 feet (15 meters)

d) 100 feet (30 meters)

Correct answer: B.

LEED requires project teams to prohibit smoking inside the building and also prohibit smoking outside the building except in designated smoking areas located at least 25 feet (7.5 meters) from all entries, outdoor air intakes, and operable windows. In addition, project teams should prohibit smoking outside the property line in spaces that are used for business purposes.

For schools, LEED restricts smoking on the entire site without any exceptions.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #19

Which of the following projects are eligible to pursue the LEED BD+C: Schools rating system? (Choose 2)

a) A newly built nonacademic building inside a school campus

b) A newly built continuing education building outside the school campus

c) Interior fit-out work of an elementary school building project

d) A newly built higher education building inside a school campus

Correct answers: A and D.

LEED BD+C: Schools rating system is for buildings made up of core and ancillary learning spaces on K–12 school grounds. It is also important to note that it can also be used for higher education and nonacademic buildings on school campuses.

A newly built continuing education building outside the school campus should use the LEED BD+C: New Construction and Major Renovation rating system.

And the interior fit-out work of an elementary school building project would fall under the LEED ID+C rating system category, not LEED BD+C. 

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #20

Which of the following is a radioactive gas that is naturally found on the soils, rocks and water bodies, and is harmful to human health?

a) Ammonia

b) Propane

c) Halon 

d) Radon

Correct answer: D.

Radon is a radioactive gas that is naturally found on the soils, rocks and water bodies, which is harmful to human health.

Ammonia and propane are natural refrigerants, while halons are chemicals used in fire suppression systems that cause ozone depletion.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #21

Which of the following products does not contain postconsumer recycled content?

a) Recyclable printer papers sent to the recycling facility after being used

b) Used aluminum cans

c) Used newspapers

d) Sawdust generated during the manufacturing of a wood product that is recycled to be used inside a medium density fiberboard (MDF) board

Correct answer: D.

Postconsumer recycled content is the recycled content of a used material. For example, a recyclable printer paper can be send to recycling after being used and can become a part of a new printer paper. Other types of materials with postconsumer recycled content can be aluminum cans, water bottles, most of the glass, wood and steel products, newspapers and more.

Preconsumer recycled content is the content of a material that is recycled before being used by a consumer. An example of this could be sawdust generated during the manufacturing of a wood product. The by-product (sawdust) is then recycled, in order to be used inside an MDF board (medium-density fiberboard). Thus, the sawdust was never consumed by anyone, and it was directly recycled into a totally different product. Other types of materials with preconsumer recycled content can be wood chips, tree bark, magazine overruns, and a number of supplemental cementitious materials (SCMs), such as fly ash.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #22

According to LEED, which of the following products can be considered locally harvested and qualify for the location valuation factor?

a) A wood product that was harvested within 120 miles of the project site

b) A steel product that was manufactured within 90 miles of the project site

c) A glass product that was produced within 150 miles of the project site

d) A plastic product that was manufactured within 110 miles of the project site

Correct answer: B.

In order to encourage the use of local materials, LEED created a location valuation factor. Products that are extracted, manufactured, and purchased within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the project site are considered local and qualify for this factor.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #23

Implementing which of the following strategies is not mandatory for all LEED BD+C projects?

a) Creating an ESC plan according to the erosion and sedimentation requirements of the 2012 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Construction General Permit (CGP) or local equivalent, whichever is more stringent

b) Reducing the project’s landscape water consumption by at least 30% from the calculated baseline for the site’s peak watering month

c) Reducing indoor water usage by 30% through the use of more efficient fixtures and fittings

d) Providing dedicated areas that are accessible to waste haulers and building occupants for the collection and storage of recyclable materials for the entire building

Correct answer: C.

Under the Indoor Water Use Reduction prerequisite, all LEED BD+C projects are required to reduce their indoor water usage by 20% (not 30%) using more efficient fixtures and fittings.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #24

Which of the following statements is false about a building product with a Health Product Declaration (HPD)?

a) Project teams can see the list of potential chemicals inside the product

b) Project teams can see the material ingredients of the product

c) Project teams can see the health information and related concerns of the product

d) Project teams can see the recyclable materials inside the product

Correct answer: D.

A health product declaration (HPD) is a disclosure that provides a product’s material ingredients, a list of potential chemicals, related concerns, and additional health information. It does not list the recyclable materials inside the product.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #25

Some Location and Transportation credits require projects to demonstrate how far a pedestrian and/or bicyclist must travel from a building to a particular destination, such as a mixed-use development or a public transportation station. When calculating the walking distance between the building and any destination, the project team should:

a) Measure the distance by drawing a straight-line radius from the building to the desired destination

b) Use the shortest path analysis, measuring the distance along infrastructure that is safe and comfortable for pedestrians (such as sidewalks and crosswalks)

c) Measure the distance by drawing a straight-line radius from the building to the desired destination, but only if there are safe paths available for pedestrians

d) Either measure the distance by drawing a straight-line radius from the building to the desired destination or use the shortest path analysis

Correct answer: B.

The correct approach is to use the shortest path analysis and measure the distance along infrastructure that is safe and comfortable for pedestrians (such as sidewalks and crosswalks).

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We hope you've found our practice questions helpful. If your are looking for full-length practice exams that are prepared in the same scope and format of the actual LEED Green Associate exam, don't forget to take a look at our our best-selling LEED Green Associate practice exams.